The present invention relates to a low level illumination system, and, more particularly, to an illuminated cover plate for an electrical outlet or electrical switch. It is adapted to provide safety, energy savings and enhance florescent light longevity.
The majority of residential, commercial and industrial buildings do not have an adequate low level illumination system to allow the safe and comfortable actions of people when the main light source is turned off. While this may be partially overcome by the installation of portable night lights into an electrical outlet, therein lies one problem. Illumination is needed at light switch and electrical controls, near doors and above counter tops. Many homes/hotels do not have night light outlets at these locations but do have wall switches where the illumination is most needed.
Since most night lights do not provide sufficient lighting in an area to adequately address the problem, it is common for people to leave on the bathroom light throughout the entire night. There is a higher incidence of this by hotel patrons because of the unfamiliarity with the room. As such hotels have unnecessarily high power consumption. Research in the United States has shown that, with standard occupancy rates, approximately $30 per year per hotel room can be saved if the bathroom light can remain off at night.
Other problems such as night light burnout, theft, breakage, heat, dimness and moderate power consumption are inherent with the use of conventional portable night lights. These problems may be eliminated or significantly reduced by the use of an LED illuminated electrical box cover switch.
A related problem is that most hotel rooms replace fluorescent lights at a higher than average rate. Commonly, the heat is lowered substantially in unused hotel rooms which keeps the fluorescent fixtures at a reduced temperature. When the fluorescent light is switched on, the end cap electrodes rapidly become warm. This broad thermal change causes micro fractures in the end cap and at the glass/electrode interface. This leads to the premature loss of gas from the light and early bulb failure. This can be minimized by providing a small bleed current of electricity through the fluorescent tube when the light is off, to keep the tube in a warmer state or pre-start readiness.
Henceforth, an improved illuminated electrical box cover plate that allows a bypass bleed current to preheat any florescent lights fed from that circuit would fulfill a long felt need in the industry. This new invention utilizes and combines known and new technologies in a unique and novel configuration to overcome the aforementioned problems and accomplish this.